The Practice of International Education in the Context of Globalization: A Critique

Abstract

This article argues for a redefinition of international education to take account of its political implications in the contemporaryera. Accepted goals of international edu cation such as global competence are incoherent and, more important, morally, philosophically, and politicallyinadequate. This is especiallytrue in the American context in light of the United States’s role as a real or perceived global hegemon. The article describes several experimental collaborative programs, jointlycreated by American and international educational institutions, which demonstrate the viability of international education projects that incorporate an anti-hegemonic stance based on principles of mutualityand equality.

Diffusion of Internationalization in Turkish Higher Education

“…Urry (1998) described globalization as breaking down national borders, reducing national power, disrupting national structures, and blurring the differences between societies, whereas internationalization recognizes national boundaries and the unique characteristics of societies and cultures and in the face of globalization urges international understanding and cooperation. For Gillespie (2002), there is a positive side to globalization-the side that enables us to stay abreast of information and communicate with colleagues all over the world, to travel to remote places, and to overcome mental barriers to international discourse. Uhalde, Strohl, and Simkins (2006) are prudent to recognize that "globalization is neither automatically beneficial nor universally destructive" (p. 50).…”

A Case for Caution: Eighteen Years of Bologna and Ramifications for the United Sates

“…To explain the drop in the number of foreign students in American Universities in favor of European Universities at the beginning of the 21st century, Gillespie [47] and the U.S. Government Accountability Office (2009) pointed to the homeland security policies developed after the September 11, 2001 events as having undermined the openness of the American education…”

Promoting Global Empathy and Engagement through Real-Time Problem-Based Simulations

“…Many institutions of higher education in the United States have identified student learning outcomes related to global awareness, global learning, and civic engagement as particularly important in an "era of global interconnection and rapid societal and economic change" (AAC&U n.d.;c.f. Heuberger 1999;Gillespie 2002;Cruz and Patterson 2005;Carter et al 2010;Eddy et al 2013). This is also reflected in the demand for assessment of intercultural or global competence whether for privately developed instruments such as the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) or instruments developed by academics and practitioners and published through the peer-review process such as the one we use in this study.…”